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2002 Belgian Grand Prix
1 September |number = 694 |officialname = LX Foster's Belgian Grand Prix |circuit = Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps |location = Stavelot, Belgium |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 6.963 |laps = 44 |distance = 306.372 |pole = Michael Schumacher |polenation = GER |poleteam = |poletime = 1:43.726 |fastestlap = 1:47.176 |fastestlapdriver = Michael Schumacher |fastestlapnation = GER |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 15 |winner = Michael Schumacher |winnernation = GER |winnerteam = |second = Rubens Barrichello |secondnation = BRA |secondteam = |third = Juan Pablo Montoya |thirdnation = COL |thirdteam = }} The 2002 Belgian Grand Prix, otherwise officially known as the LX Foster's Belgian Grand Prix, was the fourteenth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Spa, Belgium, on 1 September 2002.'Belgian GP, 2002', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr694.html, (Accessed 20/11/2019) The race would see Michael Schumacher claim a record tenth victory of the season, leading home another crushing one-two for . Qualifying would similarly be dominated by the Scuderia, with Schumacher storming to pole position by half a second. However, Kimi Räikkönen would cause a stir by splitting the Ferraris late on in his , with Rubens Barrichello having to start from third alongside Ralf Schumacher. Ultimately the fate of the race would be decided at the start, with the two Ferraris expertly charging away off the line to claim the lead. That left Räikkönen under attack from Montoya and a fast starting Jarno Trulli, with the trio diving into the corner three abreast, Räikkönen ultimately managing to hang on. Come the end of the opening tour it was Michael Schumacher leading by two seconds from Barrichello, with day light between the #2 Ferrari and Räikkönen's McLaren. The Finn himself was at the head of a train of cars including Montoya, David Coulthard and Ralf Schumacher, although there was no hope of any overtaking on raw pace alone. Indeed, the only action of note ahead of the stops would be a dramatic wobble for Räikkönen heading through Stavelot, which allowed Montoya to sweep past for third. However, the Colombian racer was not able to go chasing off the Ferraris, and hence had to produce some defensive moves of his own as Räikkönen glued himself to the #6 's gearbox. Out front, meanwhile, Schumacher would make his lone stop of the race on lap sixteen, handing the lead to Barrichello for a lap before the Brazilian made his stop. They duly emerged one-two and had a gentle cruise to the chequered flag, leaving the rest of the field to sort itself out. Indeed, Montoya's grip on third place would only be secured when Räikkönen had a poor stop, a delay that also allowed Coulthard to pass his teammate, before the Finn's recovery drive was ended by an engine failure. Ralf Schumacher would also lose time courtesy of a spin and hence slip behind Trulli, only for the racer to suffer an engine failure of his own. With that the race was run, with Michael Schumacher only denied a Grand Chelem as Barrichello had led one lap. Regardless, the German ace moved to within a point of his record points haul from with three rounds to go, with Barrichello and Montoya little more than footnotes as they completed the podium. The remaining points on offer went to Coulthard, Ralf Schumacher and the of Eddie Irvine. Background Victory for Rubens Barrichello propelled the Brazilian racer up into second in the Championship with four rounds to go, leaving Hungary with 45 points to his name. That left him five clear at the head of the hunt to finish as runner-up to Michael Schumacher, with the German ace himself having moved onto 112 points for the campaign. Behind, Juan Pablo Montoya had slipped back behind teammate Ralf Schumacher, while David Coulthard was eleven behind Barrichello in fifth. In the Constructors Championship the fight for the crown was officially over, with ending the Hungarian weekend on 157 points and with a crushing lead of 77 over second place. Indeed, were now in a fight to hold onto second for the rest of the campaign, but had enhanced their hopes by extending their advantage over to 26 points. McLaren themselves were almost guaranteed third in the Championship as failed to score, while had inched back towards the top five. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Qualifying Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. ** Frentzen and Bernoldi were withdrawn as Arrows had run out of funds. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Panis was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance. Milestones * 63rd career victory for Michael Schumacher.'14. Belgium 2002', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2002/belgique.aspx, (Accessed 20/11/2019) ** Schumacher also set a new record for most wins in a single season - 10.'2002 Belgian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2002&gp=Belgian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 20/11/2019) ** Schumacher also recorded his 50th fastest lap. * 156th win for as a constructor and engine supplier. Standings Michael Schumacher's record tenth victory of the campaign would move the German ace just a point behind his record points haul from , and with three races still to run. Behind the World Champion the fight for second was falling increasingly in Rubens Barrichello's favour, the Brazilian having moved seven points clear. However, with 30 points still in play there was still a fight to be had, with Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher still within striking distance. In the Constructors Championship a sixth one-two for of the campaign had left the Scuderia on 173 points, more than double that of second placed . The Anglo-German alliance themselves were having a poor campaign compared to the all conquering Scuderia, although they were on the verge of securing the runner-up spot in Italy. Indeed, would have to avoid being outscored by Williams by one point in Monza if they were to deny their compatriots second in the Championship, although in truth the fight was already over. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Grand Prix articles Category:2002 Grands Prix Category:Belgian Grand Prix